Britain is Paving the Way for Driverless Cars

The government is hammering out regulations while piloting four programs. Will they lead the way in innovation?

The United Kingdom is preparing to become a world leader in driverless cars. Its government is already crafting regulations to get autonomous cars on the road while creating four pilot programs to test the technology.

This includes the pilot program of an autonomous shuttle bus in Greenwich and small pod cars in Milton Keynes and Coventry. Additionally, a Wildcat vehicle will be tested in Bristol. Regulation proposals to make it all a reality will be reviewed in 2017.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

On this side of the pond, car and tech companies are racing to build the best semi-autonomous and autonomous car technology. Uber is reportedly building a driverless car test facility, and Google has been working for years on a self-driving car with no steering wheel. But the rules of the road will have to change before self-driving cars hit the streets alongside human-driven machines, and it looks like Britain is getting a head start.